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WHY THE BIG FIX MATTERS
Most of us can’t begin to
imagine what the people and
animals of Northern Uganda
went through during 20 years of
war. The chaos and trauma of
war resulted in extreme poverty
and suffering, and a daily life
that is difficult beyond our
comprehension.
Throughout all of this, dogs
have done what they do
everywhere: love people
unconditionally. In a chaotic
life, dogs have a way of making
things better. That’s true whether you are in Beverly Hills or Gulu, Uganda.
The BIG FIX operates the ONLY veterinary hospital in Northern Uganda, a region home
to more than 2 million people and tens of thousands of dogs. We are here to help these
best friends 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
Can you imagine living in a place where there was no veterinary hospital and no help for
our beloved dogs when they were sick, injured, or suffering? We can’t either. That’s
why we work hard every day to serve the animals of Northern Uganda and the people
who love them.
Thank you for being part of this mission. It matters.
www.TheBigFixUganda.org
Our Work:
Operation of Northern Uganda’s only Veterinary Hospital
Animal Rescue, Rehabilitation, and Re-Homing
Animal Welfare Education
Animal Kindness Clubs
Dog Companionship Program for War Trauma Survivors
JUST ONE STORY
This is Lamaro Hope and his 6 week old
puppy, Silver. This little boy loves Silver
with all his heart so when Hope found a
worm crawling out of his puppy’s flesh, he
ran to The Big Fix Dog Hospital and asked
for help.
Upon examination, Silver was found to have
numerous mango fly larvae on different
parts of his body, especially on the ears and
legs. Like most puppies in Uganda, Silver
was also not in great condition.
Our vet team extracted the mango fly
larvae, administered de-worming and other
medications, and gave Hope instructions for
keeping Silver happy and healthy. Now
Silver and Hope have a great chance at a
happy future, as they deserve.
SIX YEARS: MORE THAN 60,000 ANIMALS SERVED!
Since August 2012, The BIG FIX Uganda has held 363 village field clinics,
treated 61,235 animals, and performed 5,875 surgeries. We have visited
more than 150 schools and reached well over 100,000 students and
teachers with our animal welfare education programs.
SOME HOSPITAL PATIENTS
(Left) This is Akello Vicky and her 6 month old
female dog “Priscak”. Vicky says Priscak is very
loving and a “good leader”. She brought Priscak
to The Big Fix to get her spayed. The Big Fix
gave Priscak a rabies vaccination, de-wormed
her, gave her flea/tick treatment, spayed her,
and gave her a dog collar. Vicky paid what she
could afford, 5,000 shillings (about $1.40), and
our generous donors covered the balance of the
cost of providing this care to Priscak. Vicky was
very grateful!
(Right) Meet beautiful “Maxis”, a 1 year old male cat cared for
by the Olara family. Mrs. Olara requested that The Big Fix
neuter Maxis. They praised Maxis for being “very
aggressive” toward wild animals, an important quality for a
cat who has the job of guarding the family’s food storage!
We neutered, vaccinated, de-wormed, and treated Maxis for
fleas and ticks, all for what the Olara family could afford to
pay, which was about 60 cents.
Community members know
that all animals are welcome
at The BIG FIX Dog Hospital.
We routinely see and help
cats, goats (see left), chickens, cows, and even the
occasional monkey!
HELPING ANIMALS IN THE VILLAGES
Since our last UPDATE, during June and July,The BIG FIX Uganda worked in very
remote areas of Northern Uganda: Atanga Sub county in Pader District and Koch Goma
and Lii Sub counties in Nwoya Districts. Most of these areas have never had veterinary
services offered. With our dedicated field team led by Dr. Bernard Agwai (Professor of
Makerere University Vet School), we served 1,384 companion animals and their
guardians, offering rabies vaccinations, de-worming, flea/tick treatment, treatment of
wounds and injuries, and grooming/washing instruction and demonstration by our field
educators. 247 spay/neuter and 2 other surgeries were performed.
Our Field Educators helped to wash and groom 572
dogs and exchanged 438 unsafe neck restraints
(wire, chains, etc.) for rope. Our Field Educator
Supervisor commented that the number of ropes
given was lower than other areas and explained
“because dogs in these areas are used for hunting,
most dogs didn’t need any restraint and stayed
close by their guardians.”
People walked for miles to bring their animals and
to receive The BIG FIX services. Dogs were carried in baskets, sacks, wheelbarrows,
and in people’s arms.
The kind man shown (right) wrapped his
beautiful blue-eyed cat in a sack and
carried him for the multiple-hours-long walk
to our clinic site.
THE BIG FIX RECEIVES GRANT FROM
ALBERT SCHWEITZER ANIMAL WELFARE FUND
The BIG FIX is deeply honored to report that our animal welfare education program has
received a grant from the Albert Schweitzer Animal Welfare Fund.
The grant in the amount of $3,000 will be used to assist us in reaching students,
teachers, and parents through our school outreach. Our education program includes
teaching The Five Animal Freedoms, and empowering students to advocate for animal
rights through debate, art, and dramatic performances, and demonstrating positive
human-dog interactions.
Born in 1875, Albert Schweitzer was sensitive to the suffering of all living things even as a child. At age 21, after
receiving doctorates in music, theology, and philosophy, he declared he would live for science and art until age
30, and then he would devote the rest of his life to serving humanity.
True to his word, he worked tirelessly to promote his mission and in 1913, established a missionary hospital at
Lambaréné, Gabon (then French Equatorial Africa). Dr. Schweitzer was recognized with a Nobel Peace Prize in
1952. Schweitzer died at Lambaréné in 1965 at the age of 90. From www.SchweitzerFund.org
The BIG FIX Uganda’s education program
uses many different methods to
communicate the importance of caring for
our animals well. To the left is part of one
of our many murals re-enforcing the
knowledge that dogs need rabies
vaccinations to stay healthy.
IMPROVING HOSPITAL STANDARDS –
AND CREATING OPPORTUNITIES
During June, Dr. Benard Agwai (Senior Veterinary Doctor/Trustee) spent a full week
training our hospital and field teams to ensure that The BIG FIX Uganda’s Standard
Operating Procedures (SOPs) were being carried out well. This training included
everything from proper hand washing and drying (as shown below) to vet nurse duties fo
during surgical procedures and recordkeeping. The BIG FIX veterinary service SOPs
are 93 pages long and all staff working on the team must demonstrate knowledge and
competence before they are permitted to provide service to the animals.
Our Field Educators are all war trauma survivors who have graduated from The Comfort
Dog Project and shown exceptional devotion to and interest in helping animals in their
communities. By working at our field clinics, as mentors, as dog trainers, and
educators, these men and women have a chance to earn a small income to help support
themselves and their families. It is a win-win situation!
WHAT IS “THE COMFORT DOG PROJECT”?
In an area of extreme poverty and suffering, some people might wonder why The BIG
FIX Uganda is giving dogs to war trauma survivors and teaching them how to groom
and wash their dogs, and practice sit, stay, down, and come.
Based on the science proving the transformative power of the human-dog bond, The
Comfort Dog Project uses dog companionship as a key part of psycho-social
rehabilitation for people whose lives have been plagued by the disabling symptoms of
post-traumatic stress. Program participants have faced various horrific life experiences,
ranging from being abducted as a child, raped for years, forced to serve as a soldier, or
witnessing massacres of family members. Returning to “normal” after such experiences
is a difficult battle, even after the war has ended. Unfortunately, mental health services
are painfully lacking in this region, where professionals have estimated that up to 70% of
the population suffers from some type of trauma-related symptoms. These symptoms
(including nightmares, hypervigilance, anger, inability to trust others, flashbacks, and
efforts to escape through alcohol or drugs) prevent war trauma survivors from
functioning in society. Suicide rates in the region are high.
Individuals selected to become Comfort Dog guardians have already demonstrated
commitment to healing through attendance at our group counseling sessions for war
trauma survivors. Prospective Comfort Dog guardians must complete a dog guardian
education class, undergo home visits and family interviews, and sign a lifetime
commitment to a dog. Placement of the Comfort Dogs – themselves rescued from
difficult circumstances and rehabilitated to begin a new life – is enveloped with
mentorship and kinship from previous program graduates. A guardian coordinator
makes regular visits to the homes of each new guardian, ensuring that the dogs and
guardians are meshing well. At Saturday training classes, the new dog-guardian teams
learn to achieve all sorts of amazing things – walking well on a loose leash, sit, stay,
down, come – and work toward advanced maneuvers such as shaking hands, catching
a Frisbee, walking on a bench, or rolling over. Every week, there are lectures about dog
health and wellness, learning to advocate for animals, giving dog first aid, and
opportunities to groom, wash, trim toenails, and, most importantly, for the guardians to
sit quietly and pet their dogs. Individual and group counseling is offered by the project
manager, a community psychologist.
Over the course of 20 weeks, the dog-guardian teams not only are able to pass their
certification test, something more miraculous happens: their PTSD symptoms start to
disappear.
The 2018 class, graduating in September, will be the fifth to complete this program. The
past 4 classes have had 100% of participants graduate. Pre- and post-graduation
assessments of PTSD symptoms demonstrate that working with the dogs has a direct
impact on the severity of symptoms experienced by the guardians. Most of our 2015
graduates now have no symptoms of PTSD and are able to do something quite
unexpected: smile again. That’s dog love in action.
UPDATE FROM THE COMFORT DOG PROJECT Reducing war trauma through the healing power of the human-dog bond
Some of our current trainees in front of The BIG FIX Uganda’s training area.
There are two familiar canine faces amid the 2018 Comfort Dog Project graduating
class: Mario (now Watber) and Pancake (now Nimaro).
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Mario was certified as a Comfort Dog in 2016 and was raised from a puppy by his
former guardian. Unfortunately, difficult life circumstances took his guardian away and
Mario came to stay at The Big Fix. We had hoped that a reunion with his former
guardian would be possible, but after nearly a year, Mario deserved a new home.
Ognwen Bosco was paired with our wonderful bow-legged Mario and renamed him
“Watber” which means Whoever Talks Should Tell The Truth. The two are a perfect
match and both are doing well.
Our sweet little dog formerly known as
Pancake” (shown below with her signature
one ear up/one ear down look) came to The
BIG FIX as part of a litter of puppies
extremely ill with parvo virus. Most of the
puppies died, but Pancake and a sister
survived, along with their mother – now
Comfort Dog Gum who completed training
in January 2018.
Pancake warmed the hearts of our 2017
World Animal Day volunteer team as a
playful, energetic puppy.
Later, Pancake was placed in a foster home
with the plan that she would begin training
in April as a Comfort Dog. However, in
April after she saw American friends at The
Big Fix, she escaped from her foster home
and refused to leave. Upon investigation,
Pancake was removed from her foster,
pending placement as a Comfort Dog
trainee.
A committee of CDP graduates pairs every
new dog with every new guardian and the
committee, again, did an excellent job.
Adong Lucy was selected for Pancake
because she, like Pancake, was seen as
young and energetic. Pancake was named
Nimaro by Lucy, which means I Feel
Myself Being Loved Now Although I
Have Been Abandoned. That name says
it all.
ONE OF THE AMAZING PEOPLE
BEHIND THE SCENES AT THE BIG FIX
Meg Daley Olmert’s book Made for Each Other: The Biology of
the Human-Animal Bond culminates 30 years of research into
a conclusion many of us would not argue: animals, especially
dogs, make us feel better. This is the philosophy behind the
hugely successful Warrior Canine Connection program which
has paired dogs with American service members with PTSD.
When we first had the idea of using dogs to help war trauma
survivors in Northern Uganda, I thought, Why not consult with
the top person in this field, Meg Olmert? Imagine my surprise
when this incredibly talented, extremely busy phenom not only
talked to me, but helped to develop The Comfort Dog Project,
and even agreed to serve as our official project adviser!
From the very beginning, Meg Olmert has kept The Comfort Dog Project in her heart
and thoughts and has worked tirelessly to help the project succeed. Meg is one of our
silent heroes whose efforts have an impact greater than she will ever realize.
HOW YOU CAN GET INVOLVED
We sincerely appreciate cash donations, which allow us to purchase the supplies we
most critically need, and to pay our staff salaries in Uganda and other operating
expenses. However, there are many other ways you can help us. Here are just a few.
Collect dog collars for us. Dog collars improve the health and well-being of
dogs in the villages, where only chains, wire, and other unsafe materials are
available to tie or lead dogs.
Shop on Amazon Smile and list The BIG FIX as your organization to support.
And while you’re shopping, check out our WISH LIST on Amazon at
http://a.co/7bK2Kqr
Share this Update with others. Follow us on Facebook and share our posts.
Come visit us in Uganda! Plan to be part of a future volunteer team.
ANIMAL KINDNESS CLUBS MAKING AN IMPACT
Our Animal Kindness Clubs partnered with the Gulu District Police to make a number of
community presentations aimed at educating about the criminal penalties in Uganda for
crimes of animal neglect and acts of cruelty. Club members made drawings to illustrate
their points about the rights of animals and the presence of the police made an impact.
We face ongoing problems with dog poisonings in Uganda as well as incidents of
cruelty. Most people did not realize that such acts against animals were a crime and we
hope the number of cases in the future will be reduced as a result of this work.
Each term the Animal Kindness Clubs
program focuses on another key
issue, with the aim of transforming our
communities. This term, the aim is to
reduce incidents of animal cruelty.
Community attendance was high at
our July primary school debate
tournament in both the local language
and in English. The topic was
Resolved that those who commit acts
of animal cruelty should face
significant criminal penalties. The
debate tournament was judged by a
panel from the Northern Uganda
Debate Association and the finals of
the English debate will be held as part
of the World Animal Day activities on October 4.
Life in Uganda is difficult.
Dogs make it better.
Help us take care of them.
The BIG FIX Uganda is a project of Central Valley Coalition for Animals, an IRC
501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, tax ID # 30-0019352. The BIG FIX Uganda is
also registered as an International NGO in Uganda, registration number 0658.
In the U.S., donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
For more information, contact Sarah Schmidt, Project Coordinator, The BIG FIX
Uganda, 8927 Sherman Valley Rd SW, Olympia, WA 98512; e-mail:
[email protected]; telephone +1 (360) 259-9149.
A special THANK YOU to our monthly donors Kara Donahue, Chris Eckerle,
Kaitlyn Gagnon, Alexandra Gruskos, Erin Hoerig, Kelly Lyons, Posh Paws Petcare
(Bonnie Ladwig), Sharon Rickard, Alice Porter, and Casey Harrison!
We sincerely appreciate all who made donations to us in June and July 2018: Bonnie
Ladwig, Cindy Chang, Ket Mee, Greg Rodriguez, Cynthia Clark, Bobby Raiford
We are especially grateful to the sponsors of WORLD ANIMAL DAY 2018 in Uganda:
Allison and Chris Laurel, Guardian Animal Medical Center, Darla Reagin/Nexgard, John
Hinton, Andrea and Mike Kennedy/The Huut, Anonymous Donor in Northern California,
Paradise Ridge Pet Clinic, Posh Paws Pet Care, Carolyn Scotton, and Patterson Vet
Supply; and to our 2018 World Animal Day Volunteer Team, which will be arriving in
Uganda on September 26: Dr. MJ Wixsom, Dr. Ellie Newcomb, and Rhea John!
Sincere appreciation to those who donated critical supplies and equipment: Dr. Mariann
Regnier, Project V.E.T.S., Allison and Chris Laurel, Linda Chandler, Providence Health
International, and Dr. Andy Bidwell. Also to Ray and Joy Spragg for their work doing
supply inventories!
Thanks to those who volunteered their time and talent to help The BIG FIX: Allison
Laurel (Special Campaigns Coordinator), Kelly Lyons (Social Media Coordinator), and
Laura Baga (Fundraising/Promotion).
You are all part of The BIG FIX Team and we could not help the animals without
you.